I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to trigger locks for firearms.
II. Description of Material Art
Many people own firearms, both rifles and handguns. Indeed, many people maintain ready access to a firearm at night to repel a possible intruder into the home. This is particularly true in high-crime areas.
A primary disadvantage of having ready access to a firearm at night for self-protection is that the firearm may be unintentionally discharged. For example, children who see the handgun and do not understand its danger may accidentally pull the trigger on the firearm and hurt themselves or others.
In order to reduce the chances of an unintentional discharge of the firearm, there are a number of previously known trigger locks which are attached to the trigger guard around the trigger. When attached to the trigger guard, these trigger locks prevent actuation of the trigger and thus prevent the accidental or unintended discharge of the firearm.
These previously known trigger locks are typically key operated and can be removed from the firearm only after insertion of the appropriate key for the trigger lock. As such, these previously known trigger locks are highly effective in preventing accidental discharge of the firearm by children or other unauthorized users of the firearm.
A primary disadvantage of these previously known key operated trigger locks, however, is that it can take a relatively long time to find the key, insert the key into the lock, and remove the trigger lock from the firearm. Consequently, in the event of an intruder into the home, there may be simply insufficient time to remove the trigger lock in order to successfully repel an intruder in the home. This is especially true since, during a high-tension situation such as the detection of a home intruder, the authorized user of the firearm may very well experience difficulty not only in locating the key for the trigger lock, but inserting the key into the lock due to his or her nervous condition.